The Thief of Bagdad DVD

Has ever a film been so much fun? Six directors, including Michael Powell and Alexander Korda, worked on this vibrant remake of the Douglas Fairbanks silent classic, in which a betrayed King and a street thief (Sabu) work together to end the reign of the treacherous Jafar (the ever-glaring Conrad Veidt) in Baghdad. (Modern viewers may do a double-take at the jolly depiction of Iraq's capital city and Basra, given the current climate.)
The film deservedly won three Oscars for its tremendous visuals - Georges Périnal's bright Technicolour photography infuses every frame with excitement, and even the static shots dance with life. The special effects immortalise some delightful set pieces - the flying carpet, the soaring clockwork horse and, of course, Rex Ingrams' appearance as the enormous genie in the bottle are legendary cinematic moments. There is also one sequence of supreme menace, when Miles Malleson's lovable (if morally dubious) sultan is given a sinister dancing doll by the evil Jafar.
John Justin and June Duprez make for dashing romantic leads, and Veidt twirls his moustache with gusto, but this is really Sabu's show. Aged just 16, his exuberance and mischief are vital to the film's success, and his scenes with the bullish, cackling genie are a delight. His acrobatic ability is highlighted in the many action sequences, particularly when he does battle with a huge spider, swinging through the giant web over a pool of deadly squid. He also gets the biggest laugh in the film's last scene. This fantasy is one of the great family films, an escapist British classic, and its long-delayed appearance on DVD is cause for celebration.
Alex Davidson

Alex Davidson on 1st May 2006
Author of 231 reviews